Rocky Balboa Faith

Few things motivate me as much as Rocky movies (except, of course, The Karate Kid). Every time I watch one, I get caught up in his personal struggles with Adrian, his challenges as a boxer, his cocky and aggressive enemies, and his never ending internal debate on whether he should give up or fight these big, scary dudes. He always seems to wonder if he has any fight left in him or if he has what it takes to even stand in the same ring with his challengers.

 

There is always some element in each of his opponents that makes him fearful or intimidated. He goes through a season of self-doubt or even pity, does a lot of soul searching, has a few long talks with his trainer, and somehow along the way, he makes the decision to fight. However, he never wants to fight in his current condition. He knows if he is going to have a "fighting chance," he will have to train and become even stronger.

 

 Source: The Wallpaper HD

 

He uses his struggles to become a better and stronger fighter.

 

Of course, he always has his ups and downs. When he has those weak moments, though, his trainer is always on his side. He might be telling him some things that are hard to hear; he may challenge him and push him the whole time, but it is only because he believes in Rocky and knows what it takes to make him "rise up to the challenge" of his rival. (Wink, wink...I hope you caught that!)  

 

In all that Rocky faced (poverty, family struggles, intimidating enemies, age disadvantages, low self-esteem, etc.), he never lost the love and support of his trainer. He never gave up on him and knew how to help Rocky become victorious (hint: more than a conqueror) in every battle he faced.

 

Now, I bet you may have never considered Rocky to be a movie about scripture, but take a look at this:

 

³¹ So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. ³² He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. ³³ Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. ³⁴ Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. ³⁵ Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? ³⁶ As the Scriptures say, “For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.” ³⁷ But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. ^38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-39 (ERV)

Cross references:

1. Romans 8:36 : Psalm 44:22

 

It is all about us! Rocky is about this very thing that scripture is trying to teach us here (well, maybe that wasn't what Sylvester Stallone was thinking when he wrote it, but it's applicable, none-the-less). The Bible never said we will live a struggle-free life in Christ. It said that we'll face PLENTY of things, but we always have a Trainer in our corner who will never stop loving us (nothing can separate us from God's love), who will always support us during our weak moments, and will help us face our challengers with a fierceness that comes from his training (the Word) and his strength that he gives us. He MAKES us victorious!  No matter what we face, we can remember that God has re-created us to be "anything but typical" because we are designed to be more than conquerors. We, too, have the power to "rise up to the challenge" of OUR rivals. God is good!

 

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He Cracked The Dashboard

I love my Daddy. He is a big, snuggly teady bear type of guy with a huge heart. He is probably one of the most patient people I've ever met. He will take a lot more from people that I am capable of taking, but even my sweet Daddy has a point that you don't want to cross and when you get there....you'll know. Few people have caused him to lose control of his temper, but we had an old car once that suffered the brunt of his anger as his fist came down and cracked the entire dashboard!  We laugh about it now, but I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time.

Some people anger easily and some don't. Some people get offended easily and some don't. If you are one who is easily offended, you may want to stop reading here (disclaimer....you have been warned).

God is wrathful. Much like my sweet earthly Daddy, God can take a lot from us, but He has a line that you don't want to cross. Many people don't like to think about the wrath of God. It is easy to think about all the "good" things, like His faithfulness, mercy, holiness, wisdom, and love. Those types of things are the ones that give us the warm fuzzies as we leave church bolding singing, "He has made me glad, he has mad me glad, I will rejoice for He has made me glad!" When you mention the wrath of God, you get a weird, cockeyed look from people as if you've grown a second head.

They don't want to hear it. It scares them. It makes them uncomfortable. We don't "typically" talk about those types of things even in "Christian circles." 

But we should. "Why?" you ask (and I'm SO glad you asked!)?

1. People who claim to be Christians and yet reject the wrath of God may as well reject Him entirely. You can't pick which parts of God you'll take and which one's you'll leave at the store. He's not produce!

2. The wrath of God draws clear lines. If you obey God and are not His enemy, you have no need to worry about being on the receiving end of His wrath. His wrath is not for His children, it's for His enemies.

3. If you are a Christian, the enemies of God are YOUR enemies, too. God's wrath is just another promise of how He will take care of you and will ultimately win in the end (if you're from the old-school, this is where the white hankies start to fly!).

4. It is only when you fully embrace God's wrath as a part of His attributes that you fully understand the sacrifice He made in offering His Son to die for your sins when He very easily could have raised His mighty fist and crushed the world! Instead, He chose to offer another way....another chance. (You can thank my dear husband for that final point.)

Here's what His word says... 

Nahum 1:2-8

2 The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies! 3 The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. 4 At his command the oceans and rivers dry up, the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt. 5 In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. 6 Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. 7 The LORD is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge. And he knows everyone who trusts in him. 8 But he sweeps away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He pursues his foes into the darkness of night.  

Thank you, God, for your plan to take care of our enemies once and for all. Thank you also for your plan to save our souls once and for all. While the thought of your wrath makes us cringe sometimes, the knowledge of your love for us is far greater. Thank you for your boundaries and letting us know what they are. I accept your wrath just as I accept your love. I want all of you. Nothing else will do. 

Saved by a....string?

God is love, but not the love we understand as humans. As powerful as human love can be, God's love is so deep and strong that it is unfathomable. We can't understand it.

1 John 4:7-10

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  

The only reason we even have the ability to love is because we are made in the image of God. God made us to love Him and love each other. He demonstrated how love works Himself by sending His only Son, Jesus, on a rescue mission for our souls. He gave up someone who meant a lot to Him and allowed him to be abused, mistreated, and beaten for our sakes. His Son was perfect! He commited no sin and yet He died for our sin. He took the blame, shame, and responsibility for us. He took the punishment that should have been ours (we are the ones who deserve it, after all) so we didn't have to.

That is love as well.

Because of the love of the Father and the love of the Son, we are free from the bondage of sin, death, and eternal punishment. What do we get instead? God! Heaven! Eternal LIFE!  Freedom! That's worth shouting about!

Some might say, "Yeah, but love is never free. There are always strings attached." While I can see why would may think that on the human level (I know I have thought that on many occasions), God's strings are much different. Here's what God wants from you....He wants you to:

1. Tell him that you know you've sinned and that you are truly sorry.

2. Turn away from your sins and ask God to forgive you and be the Lord of your life.

3. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and accept His gift of grace and love.

It's true that love comes with strings sometimes. Some strings bind you to things you don't need or want. The strings with God's love are like the very strings that pull you to safety when you're drowning in the sea. These strings bring life, healing, and never-ending love from an infinite, holy God.

I can't imagine why He would love me. I know what a mess I am at times and I know that many times, I fail Him. I have been mean, ungreatful, rebellious, and disrespectful to Him. I have sinned and fallen short of His desires for me. I have been so thick-headed that at times I thought God would have to hit me over the head with a brick to get through my thick skull. And yet, He loves me. He loved me first which is why I even have the ability to come to Him and apologize for my random acts of selfishness and stupidity. Every time I mess up, God is there and always ready to offer forgiveness and restoration.

It's when you look at God's love that you realize that you don't know as much about love as you thought. Holy Father, please teach me more about your love and help me to love You and others better.